Rone was among the crowd lined up at Shoemaker Electric in Linden on Friday. Betty Kletrovets,
who directs the project and whose husband owns Shoemaker, expected to give out about 500 backpacks
at the site. The bulk of the backpacks are distributed at St. Stephens Community House.

Amanda Robinson came to Shoemaker with sons, Malachi, 7 and Nathaniel IV, 5. The line was long,
but she wasn't complaining.'

"It's well-organized, and they care about everybody's needs."

Kletrovets had
some worries earlier in the summer, but donations have rolled in, enabling
Kletrovets to pay all the backpack bills.

After years of faithful service to the project, she is retiring as director after the 2014
drive. Terri Leist and her husband, former Dispatch columnist John McNeely, are stepping in to take
her place.

The project is named for two other columnists. Fennessy and Harden, both deceased, were longtime
champions of the underdog. They'd be delighted to see all these kids proudly wearing their
backpacks.